English Portfolio GuidelinesEnglish Portfolio Guidelines The portfolio is a record of your English learning outside the English classroom. The benefits you receive from working on

English Portfolio

Guidelines

The portfolio is a record of your English learning outside the English classroom. The benefits you

receive from working on this activity depend on the effort you put in.

1. Aims

There are five main aims of the portfolio:

a) Encourage you to learn English outside the classroom in order to help you improve your

reading, writing, listening and speaking skills

b) Encourage you to develop critical thinking skills through discussing current affairs (in

comments on news articles) and themes (in reviews of film and literature)

c) Encourage you to develop the ability to plan and manage your own learning

d) Give you opportunities to work with your classmates and support each other in your

learning

e) Keep a record of your progress so that you, your parents and your teachers can better

understand your learning progress.

2. Submission In each submission, only hand in new pieces of work. The submission dates are:

Form 1 Form 2 Form 3

1st Submission 16 December 17 December 18 December

2nd Submission 12 May 13 May 14 May

Fifteen marks (out of a total of 100) will be deducted if the portfolio is submitted one day late. Thirty

marks will be deducted if the portfolio is submitted two days late. If the portfolio is not submitted

within two days of the deadline, the portfolio will not be marked.

3. Assessment

The assessment focuses on quality rather than quantity. If you meet the minimum requirements for

all sections you can expect a total mark of around 60/100. To get a higher mark, you can do more

than the minimum number of entries AND/OR submit very high quality of work (in terms of

accuracy, thoughtfulness, thoroughness, etc.). Examples of excellent work can be found on the

portfolio website (engp.wordpress.com).

3.1 Mark Distribution

The portfolio is divided into four sections:

Plans and evaluation, cover design and overall tidiness (10 marks)

Learning English through current affairs (30 marks)

Learning English through film and literature (30 marks)

Extra-curricular activities and teacher-approved activities (30 marks)

engp.wordpress.com

English Portfolio 2019-2020: SKH Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School engp.wordpress.com

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3.2 Marking Criteria

Marks Criteria

Outstanding 27-30/30

9-10/10

Outstanding: Very thoughtful and detailed work; great effort is clearly shown; the student has done much more than is required (in terms of the number of entries and/or in the length, quality or thoughtfulness of each entry); the student has shown great insight; language use is very accurate

Very Good 23-26/30

8/10

Very good: Thoughtful and detailed work; the student has put effort into this section, doing more than required (in terms of the number of entries and/or in the length, quality or thoughtfulness of each entry); language use is accurate

Good 21-22/30

7/10

Good: The student has done more than required, but could develop ideas more thoroughly and/or express ideas more accurately

Quite Good 18-20/30

6/10

Quite good: The student has met the minimum requirements for the section and the English used is reasonably accurate

Satisfactory 15-17/30

5/10

Satisfactory: The student has met all of the minimum requirements, but there are problems with language that affect comprehension or there are a couple of tasks that are missing or incomplete

Needs Much Improvement

1-14/30

1-4/10

Needs Improvement: Incomplete and/or with serious problems

3.3 Academic Honesty

If any student is found to be cheating, the punishment will depend on how serious the

case is, but could include mark deductions for individual sections, mark deductions for

the whole portfolio and other disciplinary measures. To avoid this problem:

a) Make sure that all the work you submit is your own (don’t copy from others).

b) Make sure it was done in the same term the portfolio is due (don’t recycle your

own work).

c) Write summaries of books, films and news articles and reviews in your own words.

d) Clearly show the difference between your own ideas and those of others you

read. Use quotation marks with any phrases or sentences that are copied directly

from someplace else and also write down the source of the information, as in the

following example:

Example: According to one film reviewer, the movie “sags a bit in the middle, a point

when it may lose some viewers for good” (from

www.rogerebert.com/reviews/arrival-2016). However, I disagree. I thought the

middle part was interesting. Perhaps this is because I am interested in languages and

like the way Louise slowly learns about how the alien language works.

e) For anything that you have had help with, make sure you clearly indicate what

portion of your work is your own, as in the following example:

Example: This is a composition I completed for a tutorial class. I have included the

worksheet, the composition, my first draft and my corrected composition (the draft

was marked by my tutor).


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4. Requirements

You should make sure that you meet the minimum requirements for each section. Examples of the

different kinds of tasks (e.g., news comments, book reviews and film reviews) and samples of

excellent student work can be seen on our portfolio website: http://engp.wordpress.com

Minimum Requirements & Optional Activities for Term 1

Overall 1 1 3

Cover Learning plan Evaluation forms: self, peer-evaluation, parent/guardian

Part 1. Learning English Through Current Affairs News comments set News comments set (related to one of your school subjects) Special activity

F.1 Fact and opinion questions F.2 Graph or chart (based on article) and description F.3 Current affairs quiz

Optional activities include: letter to the editor, additional vocabulary worksheet, news quiz, timelines, etc.

1 1 1

Optional

Part 2. Learning English Through Film and Literature* Logs: Reading log & viewing log Book review Film review

2 1 1

Special activity F.1 Design a new film poster and describe the design F.2 Design a new book cover and describe the design F.3 Rewrite the ending of a book

1

Focused review F.1 Favourite character in a book F.2 Theme and character development in a book F.3 Plot structure

Optional activities include: acting out a scene from a book or film scene (video submission), rewriting the end, writing a letter to a character, etc.

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Optional

Part 3. Extra-curricular and Teacher-Approved Activities Reading Aloud Day English Speaking Day (accounts for 20 CA marks) EAS reading and writing worksheets EAS listening worksheet Other EAS activity Free writing Special activities

F.1 Online writing activity F.2 E-learning: discussion forum (post and reply) F.3 Review of song, comic, manga or foreign language movie

English Corner (coupons) Other optional activities include participation in English clubs, teams and groups, participation in external competitions and other English learning activities (see the suggestions at the end of this handout)

1 2 1 1 1 1 1

Optional Optional


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Minimum Requirements & Optional Activities for Term 2

Overall 1 1 3

Cover (from Term 1) Learning plan (from Term 1) Evaluation forms: self, peer-evaluation, parent/guardian

Part 1. Learning English Through Current Affairs News comments sets News comments set on a topic related to STEM (RAC) Special activity

F.1 Letter of advice to someone in the article F.2 Letter to the editor F.3 Quantitative mass media analysis

Optional activities include: letter to the editor, additional vocabulary worksheet, news quiz, timelines, etc.

2 1 1

Optional

Part 2. Learning English Through Film and Literature* Logs: Reading log & viewing log Book sharing form Book review Book review (book from class library or English Corner) Film review

2 1 1 1 1

Special activity F.1 Write a letter to a character in a book of film F.2 Compare different characters in two books or two films F.3 Compare a book with its film adaptation

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Focused review F.1 Favourite scene from a movie F.2 Theme and character development in a movie F.3 Film techniques

Optional activities include: acting out a scene from a book or film scene (video submission), rewriting the ending, writing a letter to a character, etc.

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Optional

Part 3. Extra-curricular and Teacher-Approved Activities Reading Aloud Day English Speaking Day (accounts for 20 CA marks) EAS reading and writing worksheets EAS listening worksheet Other EAS activity Free writing Online discussion forum (post and reply) Special activities

F.1 Introduce a learning website (RAC activity) F.2 E-learning: free writing peer review F.3 Drama script of one scene

English Corner Other optional activities include participation in English clubs, teams and groups, participation in external competitions and other English learning activities (see the suggestions at the end of this handout)

1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

Optional Optional


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5. Learning English through Current Affairs Through doing the activities in this section, you can increase your

vocabulary, improve your English reading and writing skills, keep

up-to-date with current affairs and develop your critical thinking

skills.

The news comments can be done on single-lined paper or in a

notebook. Your teacher will advise you on how your class should

submit the work. You should attach the article and highlight or

underline the words you have covered in the vocabulary section.

5.1 Minimum Requirements

The minimum requirements for each part of the news comments

set are shown below:

F.1 F.2 F.3

Summary A mini-summary of 1 to 2 sentences At least 60 words At least 80 words

Reflection At least 80 words At least 120 words At least 150 words

Vocabulary 5 words from the article. After each word, write the part of speech, definition and a

sample sentence showing how to the word is used. The sample sentence should not

be from the article.

5.2 Selection of Articles

News articles can be clipped out of newspapers or printed out from the Internet. The articles should

be:

• Published after the submission date of the last portfolio submission (the news should be up-to-

date). If you come across an old article that you would like to use, you can ask your English

teacher for permission to use it.

• Relevant to you. The articles should deal with Hong Kong news, things that interest you and/or

things that are relevant to your life (e.g., global warming, exam pressure, teen dating,

etc.). Avoid articles that have little relevance to your life (e.g., ‘Sydney Car Crash Kills 2’).

• Reasonably long. The article should be at least 150 words long (one of the aims of this activity is

to help develop your reading skills).

5.3 News Comments Sets (Example)

Publication Date: 10 Sept. 2010

Title: Ten things the Philippines bus siege police got wrong

Date: 24 August 2010

Source: BBC News (www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11069616)

Summary

This article is about the hostage-taking incident in the Philippines. It describes ten things that . . .

Reflection

I felt angry after reading the article. It seems that there were so many ways to prevent the

tragedy from happening, but …


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Vocabulary

1. Hostage (noun)

Def. A person held by another as a guarantee that certain actions or promises will or will not

be carried out

Ex. I hope all the hostages will be released unharmed.

5.4 Optional Activities

You can include things like letters to the editor and extra pages of vocabulary. You can also do

activities related to current affairs such as preparing a quiz for your classmates regarding recent local

news.

5.5 Special Activities

Guidelines for the special activities for each form have been posted on our website:

https://engp.wordpress.com/portfolio/

5.6 RAC and STEM article

In the first term, one of the news comments sets should be based on an article related to any of the

subjects you study at school (e.g., P.E., art, history, Chinese history, mathematics, etc.). You might

start out by searching for articles in the SCMP's Young Post (yp.scmp.com). In the second term, at

least one news comments set should be based on an article related to STEM (i.e., science,

technology, engineering and/or mathematics).

6. Learning English through Film and Literature The purpose of this section is to encourage you to develop the habit of reading English-language

books and watching English-language films. Through regular reading and viewing you will develop a

stronger vocabulary, better listening skills and a better understanding of cultural differences.

Thinking deeply while writing the reviews will help you develop your critical thinking skills.

6.1 Complete Reading and Viewing Logs

Complete these logs. Only give information for films and books in English that you have written

reviews on (the reviews should be in your portfolio). You should keep updating the logs from Form 1

through to the end of Form 3. If you need a new log form, you can download it from the Portfolio

section of our website.

6.2 Book and Film Selection

You should consider the following criteria when selecting books or films for this section:

The books and films must be in English.

One of the books should be from the class library or English Corner (2nd term).

The book may not be a reader from previous years. In the 2nd term, however, you may

use one of the readers from the current academic year.

The material should not be rated as Category III.

You may not use illustrated books, graphic novels or manga as sources. If you wish to

review such works, ask your teacher if your review can go under “teacher-approved

activities).

You can find a link to our list of recommended (and not recommended) books for each

form at the bottom of our porftolio page (engp.wordpress.com/portfolio)


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6.3 Book and Film Review Requirements

The minimum requirements for the number of words for the summary and discussion are:

F.1 F.2 F.3

Summary At least 60 words At least 80 words At least 100 words

Reflection At least 80 words At least 120 words At least 150 words

Book and film reviews should be written on single-line paper and should include the following:

General Information

Book Film

Title

Author

Number of pages

Date started

Date finished

Title

Director

Duration

Date viewed

Summary

You should describe the genre, the setting and basic plot YOUR OWN WORDS (e.g., “The movie 50

First Dates is a romantic comedy about a man who falls in love with a woman who loses all of

her memories every night when she sleeps.”).

For a non-fiction book, you would introduce the contents and how the information is presented.

(e.g., “Stories of Courage is a non-fiction work that introduces four people who are well-known for

their bravery. Each chapter starts with an overview of the person’s life before focusing on the

reasons why they are considered courageous.”)

Discussion

For works of fiction, you choose any of the following topics:

What is the main theme (message) of the book or film (with examples from the story that

show this theme) or what did you learn from the book or film?

Whether or not you enjoyed the book or film (explain why)?

What is particularly good about the book (give examples) or in what ways can it be improved?

You can think in terms of plot, writing style and language use.

What is particularly good about the film (give examples) or in what ways can it be improved?

You can think in terms of plot, acting, directing, cinematography, special effects, dialogue,

editing, costume design, set design and music.

What is your favorite character or scene? Explain why.

How does the main character change during the course of the story and what does this change

show regarding the meaning (or theme) of the work?

For non-fiction works, you can consider writing about topics such as:

What is the main message of the work?

What is the most interesting or important thing that you have learned?

How do you feel about the selection of content and the way in which the content is

presented? Was the content clear? Was it easy to understand? Was it interesting?


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6.4 Special Activity

These should be written on single-line paper and should include the following (no summary is

required):

Minimum Term 1 Term 2

Title

Author

Number of pages

Date started

Date finished

Title

Director

Duration

Date viewed

F.1

80 words Design and describe a new poster for a

movie that you have seen (See the

guidelines online).

Write an informal letter to a character in

a book or film you read or watched

during this school term (See the

guidelines online).

F.2 120 words Design and describe a new book cover for

a book that you have read (See the

guidelines online).

Compare characters in two different

books or films (See the guidelines

online).

F.3 150 words Rewrite the ending of a book. Compare the film version of a book to

the actual book (See the guidelines

online).

6. 5 Focused Review

These should be written on single-line paper and should include the following (no summary is

required):

Minimum Book (fiction): Term 1 Film (fiction): Term 2

Title

Author

Number of pages

Date started

Date finished

Title

Director

Date viewed

F.1

80 words Who is your favourite character in the

book? What do you like most about the

character (give an example from the book)?

What is your favorite scene in the

movie? Why do you like that

scene?

F.2 120 words What are the main themes of this book?

Give examples from the story that show

these themes.

How does the main character

change and what does this show

you about the theme of the book?

For this activity, you should

choose a film in which the main

character changes during the

course of the movie (e.g., they

become a better person or come

to a better understanding).


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Minimum Book (fiction): Term 1 Film (fiction): Term 2

F.3 150 words Identify the following elements of plot

structure in the story.

1. Opening/set-up/exposition

2. Inciting incident/new situation

3. Rising action/complication

4. Climax

5. Falling action/resolution

How closely does the plot of the book

follow that traditional story structure?

Choose three of the following film

techniques. How well do these

techniques contribute to the film

(and/or your enjoyment of the

film):

a) Acting

b) Pacing (of the plot)

c) Cinematography

d) Editing

e) Special effects

f) Stunt work

g) Sound and/or music

h) Costumes

i) Set design

6.6 Book Sharing Preparation

In the second term, you will share a book you are reading and have chosen for your book review

with your classmates (work in groups of 4). You can introduce the book to the others, explain why

you chose it and tell them something about the story so far. The entire sharing session should last

from 8 to 10 minutes. You should jot down notes in point form in the book-sharing form (in the

handouts).

6.7 Other Activities Related to Film and Literature

You can include other book and film-related activities in this section. These optional activities

include:

Drawing a scene from a book: Include the drawing and a short description of at least 80

words describing the scene and why you like it or why you think it is an important scene

in the story.

Writing a letter to one of the characters in a film or story (at least 80 words).

Writing an alternative ending to a film or story (at least 150 words).

Creating a video-based book or film review (at least 2 minutes).

Creating a scene for a radio play based on a scene in a book: You can make an audio

recording lasting for at least one minute per participant (i.e., if there are four actors then

the recording should be at least 4 minutes long).

Acting out a scene from a book or movie (video submission)

Making a timeline or flowchart showing all the scenes from a book or film.

Comparing or contrasting two characters in a book (at least 150 words).

Writing a diary entry from the point of view of a character (at least 150 words).



https://engp.wordpress.com/portfolio/


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7. Extra-curricular Activities and Teacher-approved Activities In this section, you can keep a record of all your extra-curricular English learning activities. You can

submit audio and video files on a CD or upload them onto a web page; if you do this, you should

include in your portfolio a brief description of each file.

7.1 EAS Reading/Writing & Listening Worksheets

These are distributed from time to time during the year. You should complete each worksheet,

submit it to your subject helper for checking (to see that you have done the work).

7.2 EAS Reading Aloud Days

Do make sure that you participate during the days assigned, complete the self-evaluation form and

submit it in your portfolio.

7.3 EAS Activities & English Corner

You should take part in at least one EAS activity. Put the evidence of participation (e.g., the coupon

or chop sheet) in the portfolio. English Corner attendance is optional and can be counted as a

teacher-approved activity.

7.4 Free Writing

The writing should be all your own and should have been written since the last portfolio submission.

If you include work that you have received assistance with (e.g., a tutorial center guided writing

activity), clearly indicate this at the beginning of your free writing and attach any related notes (e.g.,

composition guidelines). Possible types of compositions include:

Fiction (short story or novel chapter)

Poetry

Essay or magazine article

Diary entry

You can find ideas by searching online for ‘writing prompts’ and ‘story prompts’)

The minimum requirements for the number of words for the free writing are:

Form 1 Form 2 Form 3

At least 120 words At least 180 words At least 220 words



engp.wordpress.com/portfolio/

7.6 Online Forum

In the second term, you should post a comment of at least 50 words on one of our forum topics and

a reply of at least 20 words to one of your schoolmate’s comments.

7.7 Competitions and School Service

Indicate your participation in competitions or interschool activities or your active membership in the

school’s English organisations by filling out the appropriate handout (Record of Participation) and

providing proof of participation. Examples of relevant activities are shown on the following page.


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Activity Proof

Speech Festival Speech Festival score sheet

Music Festival (singing English songs) Music Festival score sheet, copy of song

Membership in EAS member, English

Corner, Debate Team and Studio Team

Teacher’s signature

Interschool friendly English debate Score sheet and/or teacher’s signature

Interschool writing competition Copy of application form and composition

7.8 Self-directed Learning Plan (Optional)

This is an optional activity for students who want to work on a specific area of English. For this

activity, you will need to:

Select one area of English you would like to improve

Draw up a plan (see the worksheet in the handouts)

Carry out the plan during the school term

Show some evidence that you have completed the plan

Evaluate your progress at the end of the term (there is an evaluation form in the set

portfolio handouts)

You can see guidelines and sample plans on our website: engp.wordpress.com/portfolio/

7.9 Other Suggested Teacher-Approved Activities

Here are some suggestions. However, do remember to get permission from your teacher before

including any of the following activities. Feel free to suggest other possible activities to your

teacher.

Art and design activities

Art-work (e.g., painting, drawing, sketch): Include your artwork + a short description of at

least 80 words explaining the process and/or the subject.

Fashion design: clothes or costumes: Include the drawing and a short description of at least

80 words describing the design.

Product design: a drawing and a description of at least 80 words describing the design.

Architectural design: Include the drawing of a building, room, school, classroom, park, etc.

and include a short description of at least 80 words describing the design.

Ad design: Include the design of your advertisement and include a short description of at

least 80 words describing the design.

Artistic Photography: Include some photographs you have taken and describe (in at least 80

words) the effects that you are trying to create (e.g., the mood, any deeper meanings, etc.).

Comics Activities

Comic strip: Create a three-or-four-panel comic strip (like the ones that appear in the

newspaper) and include a short description of at least 80 words describing the comic.

Comics and Manga: Create a longer comic (at least 1 A4 page) with English dialogue.

Review: Introduce and discuss your favourite comic or manga. What is it about? Why is it

interesting? Write a review of at least 100 words.

Website

Create an English Language website: Print out the pages.

Keep an English online diary / blog: Print out any pages you would like to include.


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Music Activities

Write a song with English lyrics: Include the lyrics and sheet music, MP3 file or video clip (on

CD or posted on YouTube).

Song review: Write a review (at least 100 words) of an English language album or song. What

kind of music is it? What is the song about? What is special about the song?

Song performance: Record yourself singing an English song and include the mp3 file.

Music video: Create a music video, include it and write a description of how the video

represents the song you have chosen.

Online activities

There are lots of different activities on the Internet. Here are some useful websites:

www.syvum.com/english/ & www.syvum.com/online/english.html

www.englishpage.com/ (quizzes and activities with a very good section on verb tenses)

www.hkedcity.net/english/

www.world-english.org/ & www.manythings.org/(links to many English learning activities)

www.english-test.net/ (lots of quizzes in printable formats)

www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish and

www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/reading/ activities from the BBC

www.eslcafe.com/quiz/ (many quizzes)

Language Games

You can include crossword puzzles and similar games. Mention where the games are from.

Oral activities

Talk with someone in English for 15 minutes. Write down the time and date and the names

of the participants. In at least 80 words, summarise the topics you discussed.

Create a quiz. Interview people in English and write a report of the findings.

Create an oral diary. Record yourself talking about your interests, school life and/or current

affairs and submit the recording.

Video

Write and perform an original short scene.

Create a vlog (video blog) style video.

Create an ad for an imaginary product.

Listening

Watch or listen to the news and summarise the

first two or three news stories. Include your rough

notes and the summary.

Complete and print out online listening activities.

Internet Research

Find information about a topic you like, summarise the information in your own words (at least 100

words) and include the URLs of all the websites you used for information.

We look forward to seeing your portfolios!

Warning: There are three things that

definitely should not be included:

Activities the whole class has done

together.

Things done for other classes.

Things you have done before the

last portfolio submission

All work must be your original work.

Copying from the Internet or other

sources is forbidden.

Documents

English Portfolio GuidelinesEnglish Portfolio Guidelines The portfolio is a record of your English learning outside the English classroom. The benefits you receive from working on